the
ancient mariners, connecticut, fife & drum corps, were founded
july 4, 1959 by roy watrous, a guilford native with a passion for
the sea, who recognized the possibilities of forming a musical group
with a nautical theme. with the ring of the fife & drum in his
ear, and the haunting melodies of the chanties from the days of the
square rigger, his vision of the ancient mariners became a reality.
their portrayal of the common sailor of 1812, brings to life
a vivid display of the colonial seaman through an enthusiastic rendition
of a musical good time. built around the wood fife and the rope tension
drum, the mariners play and sing a variety of traditional music. from
up tempo hornpipes and jigs to the work songs used aboard ship, the
story of the ancient sailor is told.commissioned as connecticut's colonial navy by the late governor
ella grasso, the mariner's list of credits is extensive. some highlights
are the america's cup and gaspee day balls in rhode island, operation
sail in newport in 1976, the "we the people" parade on national
television in philadelphia in 1987 celebrating the bicentennial of
the united states constitution, and at the 200th anniversary celebration
of george washington's inauguration in new york in april 1989. during
these parades, the mariners passed in review of
two
united states presidents- ronald reagan and george bush. their exploits, have also taken them across the atlantic ocean
to europe. the mariners have marched in dublin, ireland, the alsace
region of france, and many cities and towns in switzerland. it was
there in 1970 that a brother unit was formed, known as the swiss
mariners of basel. they adopted the music and uniform of their
us counterpart and became the first american style fife & drum
corps based outside the united states. this tradition is alive today,
and gives the mariners the unique distinction as the world's first
and only international fife & drum corps. the international mariners
have marched together throughout the northeastern united states, as
well as europe.on parade, the mariners are led by a "pirate" in
chains guarded by a cutlass clad "boarding party". a booming
ship's cannon follows, announcing the coming of the musical unit dressed
in white pants and blue fearnothing jackets. on the concert stage,
another side of the mariners becomes evident. with the fifes &
drums, the mariner chanteymen take center stage to give the audience
a historical presentation, in song, of life aboard ship. the mariner
chanteymen have appeared annually at the much heralded mystic
seaport seamusic festival in mystic, ct. surrounded by the tall
ships, the chanteymen have gained a reputation for the serious work
ethic needed to perform this specialized style of folk music.